Living in God's Presence

 

I used to think that God wanted me to work for Him. I was under the impression that He desired for me to spend all of my time serving in the soup kitchen for the homeless, going to Bible studies, taking abandoned children into our home, helping to lead worship in my church, teaching adults how to read, witnessing to everyone I met and a myriad of other activities.

However, these very activities stole time away from my ability to actually live in the presence of God (1 Chronicles 28:9). Remember when Jesus went to the pool? He only healed one man (John 5:1-18).

Another time, when He walked through the crowd, only the woman who touched his garment was healed (Luke 8:43-48). Jesus did miracles and taught the crowds as He saw the Father working.

However, He spent more time in solitary places communing with our Father God (Matthew 6:9-13, 11:25-26, 14:23; Luke 6:12, 22:32, 22:41-44, 23:34; John 11:41-42, 12:27-28, 14:31, 17:1-26). He lived in the very center of God’s will.

We can learn a lesson from Jesus’ life. He listened to God, heard His direction and did only what the Father said and did (John 5:19, 5:30, 8:28, 12:49). God calls us to do this same thing.

We no longer rely on our human reasoning to direct our day. We seek the Lord and He directs our path (Proverbs 3:5-6). We walk through our day communing with our Father and following His Spirit’s direction even if it makes no human sense.

Sometimes, I actually argue with the Spirit’s leading, or discount it as a human thought, which just floated through my mind.

Maybe I am tired and I do not want to follow the Spirit’s leading. I have my own agenda for my day; so I decide to take a nap or go to the pool or play a game of Scrabble instead of obeying my Father’s will.

When I do, I quickly learn that I grieved the Holy Spirit and missed an opportunity to further the Kingdom of God.

At times, God will lead us to nap, because of what lies ahead in our evening, or He has a person at the pool or the park whom He wants us to talk to about Jesus.

The point is to walk in the Spirit, so that we do not reap the consequences of living in the flesh (Galatians 5:15-25), thwart God’s will for our life or quench God’s Holy Spirit. We will have more time to rest in His presence.

Prayer:

Father God, keep our thoughts centered on You as we learn to walk in Your ways. Help us to understand that You do not want us to work for You, but to do the works, which You created us to do (Ephesians 2:10).

Remind us that it is not by our works of righteousness, or our might and power, but by Your Spirit that we live, move and have our being in You (Titus 3:5-7; Zechariah 4:6; Acts 17: 28).

Thought for the Day:

If Jesus did not speak for Himself, do anything through His own effort or strength, or teach anything of His own devising, how can we do otherwise?         – John 12:49-50, 7:18, 5:19, 30, 14:31  

A Place of Rest for Our Soul

In the Old Testament, Believers worshipped in temples of stone and mortar. Their contact with God was from the first few books of our Bible. It is different today. We have 66 books of God’s Word to encourage and instruct us. God dwells within us in a personal, intimate relationship, not in temples made with human hands (Romans 10:9).

We are God’s “living stones”, and Jesus is the chief cornerstone on which we are centered (1 Peter 2:4-6). As God’s Temple, we have a deepening understanding of the reality of what it means for Christ to abide in us (Colossians 1:27). This truth changes our outlook on life and affects our body, soul and spirit. We enter God’s rest forever (Hebrews 4:9-10).

God rested after He created the universe. Jesus rested after carrying the burden of our sin to the cross. Now, we can rest from serving God from compulsion and serve Him from a place of love instead. The doorway to this rest is through total surrender to God’s will and to Christ in us, which is our hope of living in glory now and in eternity.

Our humanity is dead and we are a new creation with Christ living in and through us (Galatians 2:20). We decrease daily, so that He can increase (John 3:30). We cease from our human striving and follow God’s Spirit through every moment of every day (Galatians 5:16-25). However, our ultimate rest will be when we leave this sin-cursed world behind and live instead in the presence of God in glory (2 Corinthians 5:8).

Until then, we dwell in Christ as Christ abides in us. We die to sin with Christ and He raises us to walk in newness of life (Romans 6:4). Living by the faith of the Son of God, we enjoy His love and redemption (Ephesians 5:2). He directs our paths, as we seek Him in everything we think, say and do (Proverbs 3:5-6). The peace of God rules in our hearts, dispelling all of our doubt and fears (Colossians 3:15; Philippians 4:7).

Prayer:

Father God, remind us not to strive in life, but to submit our will to Yours each and every day. Help us to accomplish the works, which You prepared for us to do before we were ever born (Ephesians 2:10). Bring people our way to whom we can share Your love and give us the boldness to proclaim Your truth to them.

Thought for the Day:

Yoke up with Jesus and find rest for your soul. – Matthew 11:29

Hungry for Holiness

Focusing on our union with Christ is the key to living a holy life. Since we are Born Again by the Spirit of God, Christ dwells within us. We no longer practice sin. We cannot sin, because it grieves the Spirit within us (1 John 3:9; Ephesians 4:30). If we can live one moment without sinning, it is possible to live one hour, one day or one lifetime without practicing sin, because the Divine nature of Christ abides in us. We live in the moment, and Christ in us keeps us centered on His will.

We hunger for holiness. We seek first His Kingdom, and He supplies all of our needs by His glorious riches (Matthew 6:33; Philippians 4:19). We walk in His power, love and self-discipline for His glory (2 Timothy 1:7). All of God’s spiritual power resides in Christ; and since Christ lives in us, His divine power and authority are resident within us, just as it was in the apostles once the Holy Spirit came upon them (Acts 2:43; 4:13).

We are often crippled by our fears, distraught over our weakness and depressed because of our failures. However, God wants us to remember that we have authority by His grace, and that His power in us is more evident when we are at our weakest moment (2 Corinthians 12:9-10). It is simply a matter of surrendering to His Spirit and submitting to His will. God keeps us in perfect peace as we focus our thoughts on Him (Isaiah 26:3; Philippians 4:8).

Through Christ, we live a life of holiness and submission to His Spirit (Matthew 28:18; Acts 1:8). We serve God by His power resident within us. His power in us also defeats the devil and his demons (1 John 4:4; Ephesians 1:19-21). His work is perfect in us and through us (Psalm 18:30). We focus less on our self, and long for more of His holiness. We place our self in His service so that we can do the works, which God prepared for us before we were ever born (Ephesians 2:10).

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, we thank You for your grace, mercy, love, power and blessings that You bestow on us every day of our lives. We are humbled by the knowledge that You had to live as a man and sacrifice Your life in order for us to enjoy these advantages. Your strength is made perfect only in our weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9). Remind us not to take Your presence in us for granted or to underestimate the resources we have available to us through Your presence in us.

Thought for the Day:

As long as we insist on working FOR God, He cannot fully work IN and THROUGH us.

Abiding Peace

Read: Hebrews 4: 1-11

“A relaxed attitude lengthens life.” - Proverbs 14:30a (TLB)

As a young adult, my daily focus centered on the events of my day. I worried about what others thought of me and about how well I performed. Anxiety and anger broiled within me, and I often over-reacted to perceived slights and a lack of recognition. I breathed with shallow breaths and had a very intense personality.

Over the years, I learned to relax, to breathe deeply, to notice God's blessings throughout the day and to look to Him for my affirmation. I walk in peace now, by focusing on the way God meets all of my needs. He not only saved me from eternal damnation, He also puts joy in my heart regardless of life’s circumstances, keeps me from falling into temptation, gives me air to breathe, nature to enjoy and my daily bread.

I feel so much joy and abiding peace now, found only from focusing on God (Isaiah 26:3). As I serve my family and work in my church and community, God provides for me and dwells in me, keeping me serene and sheltered under the shadow of His wings (Psalm 91:4). Peace comes only when we abide in Christ.

Prayer:

Lord, help me to hold fast to Your promises and to maintain a positive attitude throughout my day. I want to be glad and rejoice in You forevermore. Amen.

Thought for the Day:

Relax in the Spirit and enjoy the crisis. – James 1:2






Thank you, Jessica Greek, for the use of your photo.